Road guard assembly



July 8, 1941.

A. E. BRICKMAN ETAL ROAD GUARD ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 18, 1939 2 Sheets+Sheet 1 I N. r g W 6W mg? 15 Mi Z 46 July 8 1941. A. E. BRICKMAN ETAL ROAD GUARD ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 18, 1959 lmenhra flzfl/v E EE/CK/Vfi/Vmd a fis-aec f ,4. 645450/v,

Patented July 8, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROAD GUARD ASSELIBLY Alan E. Brickman, Rostravor Township, Westmoreland County, Pa., and George A. Gleason, Worcester, Mass., assignors to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application November 18, 1939, Serial No. 305,188

3 Claims. (Cl. 256-13.1)

horizontally passing through this slot and the stay pin vertically being inserted through the loop in front of the element. There may be a plurality of these slots in case a plurality of guard rail elements are used, such as a plurality of wire cables, or the slot may be a single wide opening receiving a single strip of steel or a single wire fabric tape.

It has proven desirable to construct such an assembly so that the guard rail element is loosely mounted, this permitting the element to longitudinally slide relative the bracket when struck 'by colliding trailic. Such a construction means that the stay pin must be loosely positioned to avoid gripping the element, whereby it is an easy matter to dismantle the assembly by pulling the stay pin from its proper position. It is consequently easy for vandals to render inoperative an entire road guard by surreptitiously removing the stay pins, this being a great annoyance to those charged with the maintenance of the road guards and preventing proper safeguarding of the motoring public.

The primary object of the present inventors is to provide a road guard assembly of the type under consideration which can be easily assembled but which prevents the unauthorized removal of the stay pin after it has been assembled and is in use.

Specific examples of the invention are illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of an assembly using wire cables;

Figures 2- through 6 show this assembly with the stay pin in various stages of its insertion between the back of the bracket and the front of the cables; Figures 2, 4 and 6 being vertical sections, and Figures 3 and 5 being cross sections, respectively, taken from the lines IlI--III and V-V in Figures 4 and 6;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but shows an assembly using a single wire fabric tape;

Figure 8 is a side view of the part of the assembly embodying the invention;

Figure 9 is a front view of this part;

Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of a bracket For example, the 5 assembly showing the use of the part shown by Figures 8 and 9;

Figure 11 is a top view of Figure 10; and

Figures 12 and 13 are cross sections takenfrom the lines XII-XII and XIII-XIII, respectively, in Figure 8. V

More specifically, these drawings show the traflic side of a loop i of strip spring steel which, it is to be understood, is vertically mounted by the usual road guard post and constitutes the guard railbracket. If the road guard is of the multiple cable type having a plurality of wire cables 2 as a guard rail, the loop I is providedwith an appropriate number of horizontal slots 3 through which the cables 2 horizontally pass. If the road guard is of the type having wire fabric tape 2'- as its guard rail, as shown by Figure 7, then one or more wide slots 3 are horizontally formed in the loop I, the tapes passing horizontally through these slots. The two examples shown involve the same principle in each instance.

In both types each guard rail element is retained in its slot by a stay pin 4 that passes between the back of the metal bracket and the front of the element, and this stay pin fits loosely so that the element can longitudinally slide as has been previously explained. The pin is in the form of a rigid metal strip having its side exposed through the slot or slots rounded to prevent its being caught by colliding traffic, this side acting as a traflic deflector in time of trouble. The top portion of the pin is curved backwardly to provide a hook 5 that engages the top of either the uppermost cable 2 or of the tape 2 this providing a means for preventing the loosely fitting pin from falling. It is to be understood that looseness of the pin is obtained by properly dimensioning the various parts.

The inventors object is attained by forging out from the center of the pin 4 a projection 15 that cannot pass between the back of the bracket and the front of the guard rail element without springing the bracket or rail element. case of the multiple type, the projection 6 is positioned to engage the bottom of the uppermost rail element when an attempt is made to withdraw the stay pin. In the case of the wire fabric tape type, the projection is positioned to engage the bottom edge of the tape. Since the projection is the same in both instances, the same numeral is applied in the drawings, the only difference being in its position on the stay pin.

Since it is necessary to make the road guard brackets of very stifl spring metal, it is impos-' In the even though the stay pin fits so loosely that it may be rattled by hanging the bracket.

Returning to the description of the stay pin 4 and its projection 6, this projection has a cam bottom I that forces springing of the bracket I when the stay pin 4 is driven downwardly to position, as shown by Figures 3 and 4, and this permits downward passage of the projection 6 between the bracket and the element at that time. This enables the stay pin to be positioned during assembling operations without necessitating the use of special tools. By making the top surface of the projection 6 sharply curved as shown by the drawings, it is more diilicultto remove the stay pin than it is to drive it home to position. Furthermore, the lower end of the stay pin does not come below the edge of the bracket, and it is therefore practically impossible to hammer on this lower end. The stay pin can be withdrawn only by the usage of relatively elaborate and heavy equipment which the ordinary vandal does not possess.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application entitled "Road guard bracket assemblies, filed May 27, 1938, and bearing Serial No. 210,488.

In the present case, the second assembly is that disclosed by our original application and constitutes a bracket assembly including two spaced spring metal parts 8 and 9, the part 8 having slots ID with guard cables ll positioned therein, the part 9 functioning to support these cables against further inward movement. A stay pin i2 is driven between the part 8 and the cables Ii to hold the latter against outward movement.

Bracket assemblies of the above type are in use at the present time. The parts 8 and 8 are the ends of a looped spring steel strip having its mid-section fastened to a road guard post and functioning to offset the guard cables from these posts in an elastic manner. The dimensions between the parts 8 and 9 may be such that the stay pin must normally be forcibly driven into position, whereby it cannot be easily removed by unauthorized persons. However, due to unavoidable manufacturing variables, it sometimes happens that these stay pins are loose, this being a temptation to some persons to dismantle the assembly.

The stay pin I2 is made of a half-rounded strip having its top end bent in the direction of its fiat side, as at i3, and a portion, spaced from this end, pinched to provide flanges I! which extend in the same directions as the top end and function to fit beneath the top one of the cables I I when the pin is driven between it and the part I so that the bent top end 13 is in contact with this top cable.

The parts II and I provide a cable recess II which snugly receives the cable and retards withdrawal of the stay pin. In fact, this withdrawal can ordinarily be effected only by the use of proper tools. The flanges H are pinched to form in such a manner as toprovide cam surfaces ll leading to the cable recess l5, whereby installation of the stay pin is facilitated, the cable riding up over these surfaces It and snapping into the recess I5 at the time the stay pin is forcibly driven into place.

We claim:

1. A road guard bracket assembly including a spring metal part which has a slot with a guard cable positioned therein, and a stay pin driven between said part and said cable to hold the latter against outward movement, said pin being made of a half rounded strip having its top end bent in the direction of its fiat side and a portion spaced from said end pinched to provide flanges fitting beneath said cable when said pin is driven between it and said part with said bent top end in contact with said cable.

2. A road guard bracket assembly including two spaced spring metal parts one of which has a slot with a guard cable positioned therein and the other functioning to support said cable against further inward movement, and a stay pin driven between the first named part and said cable to hold the latter against outward movement, said pin being made of a half-rounded strip having its top end bent in the direction of its flat side and a portion spaced from said end pinched to provide flanges fitting beneath said cable when said pin is driven between it and said first named part with said bent top end in contact with said cable.

3. A stay pin of the character described adapted to be interposed between a cable and its supporting bracket, said pin being of such cross sectional contour from end to end as to provide an outer rounded bracket engaging face and an inner flat cable engaging face, the top end of the pin being bent in the direction of its flat face, a portion of the pin spaced from said bent end being pinched inwardly to provide a projection which with said bent end defines a cable receiving notch, said projection having a gradient cam portion merging into the flat face of the pin.

ALAN E. BRICKMAN. GEORGE A. GLEASON. 

